A Trip Down Memory Lane

When I was a child Sundays & nights were always a busy time. Family outings, dinners, church services, television and last minute home work filled my day.

Often I would have knots in my stomach because I didn't do my homework when I should have because weekends were always a busy time at my house and playing and church were more fun than doing homework.

Needless to say I didn't look forward to Monday's and getting back to classes. As much as I really did love school, I didn't like returning to school with unfinished homework and I would get so anxious about it that I could hardly get the work underway as the minutes ticked on through Sunday night.

Back then I was very much a procrastinator on weekends in so far as homework was concerned.

I don't think I ever outgrew the dislike of impending Monday mornings though I have no longer suffer "Monday blues".

Just out of curiosity, did any of you dear readers ever suffer from Monday blues or anxiety over unfinished homework on weekends? 

I'd like to think I wasn't alone in my feelings and experiences though it isn't something I've heard heard my friends admit to.

One thing I did look forward to on Sunday nights was the "The Wonderful World of Disney".  An hour long children's program featuring the work of Walt Disney. That was always a highlight of the week.
I also looked forward to watching "The Ed Sullivan Show". Ed Sullivan had a variety show in which he introduced many new acts (entertainers) which went on to be very famous in North America.  Acts like Elvis Presley and The Beatles.

Mr. Sullivan also had many established acts and entertainers on his program; most of whom I enjoyed for years afterward.

One entertainer I really enjoyed was Doug Kershaw, better known as the "Ragin Cajun". He so impressed me with his unique style of fiddle playing.  I'm sharing a more recent video of Mr. Kershaw here. He must have already been in his 70s when this video was made.  I just marvel at his energy!

I don't exactly know why I like fiddle music so much. I didn't hear a lot of it as a child but whenever I did, it was in my blood. Kind of like bagpipes. I actually heard more bagpipe music as a child than fiddle but I truly love the stringed instruments whether it be folk music, country music, or classical.

Grey Skies and Garden Greens

Hello everyone,

I hope you are all enjoying your weekend wherever you may be in the world. In my part of the world it has been raining heavily all week. I was looking forward to having rain because it has been so hot and humid for me this summer.


Unfortunately I was not counting on the arthritic pain that came along with the rains. I've been moving more slowly this week as a result and not feeling up to much of anything.  After 5 days of rain, I am feeling better today.

As you can see from the photos, we've had thick gray skies with a sliver of blue (lower photo) but so far it hasn't rained today.

I was disappointed in my garden this year. Nothing really grew as it should. Some things matured too quickly and died.  Like the corn I like to plant most years so the squirrels can have some food. The sweet peas which I planted for the bloosoms also died rather quickly.

Even container plants which have always done well for me, like pansies and geraniums, died rather quickly even though I did dead head and water them.  I thought the pansies had died altogether.  But just the other day they started blooming again so I hope they will last for a little while yet.

I can't really complain too loudly about the lack of gardening success for I don't really tend to my garden too much except to water it almost daily and deadhead the container plants.

Everything looks a bit wild, lol!

Just when I thought none of the vegetables would grow I see the kale is looking healthy and the brussels sprouts are suddenly doing better too. Even the tomatoes are finally showing signs of growth.  Perhaps all is not lost just yet. I will be glad to use anything that grows. Sadly the sunflowers I planted for the birds didn't grow very big and are almost dead now after the heavy rains this week.

Almost ready to use. I've seen smaller leaves on bunches in food stores.

The strata council where I live will soon be uprooting all the gardens to test for membrane damage.  Hopefully next year I can plant and tend my garden without worrying what will happen to it. Perhaps next year things will grow better.

I've never grown these before but they look almost ready to harvest too. I've got a few bunches of them.

I have kept very busy trying to get healthy and lower my blood glucose levels (with some success),  looking after my mother's many needs and hosting some visitors a few times.  I haven't had a whole lot of time for much else, including the garden.

Thank you to all those who commented on my last post about trying to help me find pajamas and warm socks for my mother. I had been looking on line and not finding what I needed in the right sizes.

Last night I finally made it to several brick and mortar stores to see whether the selection was any better than what I've been seeing on line.  I was able to find what I needed:  4 sweatshirts with long sleeves and 3 coordinating sleepwear pants.

These are the tops (and one cami on top). Two of the long sleeved sweatshirts have a bit of glitter. 

 
It took some doing to find the right sizing and colours to coordinate tops and bottoms. But I'm happy with what I found for now. She wants to start wearing pajamas throughout the day so she can keep warm so I've bought things that don't scream "pajamas".

I will still be looking for thicker sleepwear.  If I cannot find them I will try and make some as the fleece and flannel selections will soon be in stock in the fabric stores. I will also wait to see how mom fares wearing what I've just purchased.  I labelled all the clothing today and hemmed one of the bottoms. I put together mom's favourite snack foods since she often says she cannot eat the food served to her at the residence.  On those occasions she needs something else on hand.  My brother will be taking everything up when he goes to visit mom on Sunday.  When I see her on her birthday later in the month I will assess how the clothing has worked out and take some measurements for the socks she still needs to ward off the chills.

Last, but not least, I just want to mention that there is still time to help Elvis in Kenya (if you wish, you can read more about him at the side bar on the right of my blog).  Elvis will take his last class at university in a week or so. He will then need some help with graduation costs and some small funds to help him while he looks for work. If anyone can assist, please let me know.  I know Elvis and his mom who raises 3 other school age children will thank you so much!

Linking with Our World Tuesday

A Health Update

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you are all enjoying life wherever you are.  In my part of the world it is summer and this summer has been very hot. Believe it or not the summer has passed by so quickly for me and I have yet to do any summer activities such as picnicking, going to the beach for the day, strolling parks or having barbeques. I did manage to have a few short term summer visitors though it seems so long ago now. I also managed to have a few people for dinner in the patio garden area while my flowers were still in bloom.

My garden was in on time early this year but I haven't really had a chance to enjoy it after the first month or so. It has been so hot here and I am afraid I do not do well in the heat. I am not sure why too but the vegetables seemed to mature early and start dying off. Just this past week the flowers in containers and some of my vegetables seem to have revived though so perhaps there is still some hope for late harvest.



I've been very busy this past few months with health issues; my own and various family and loved ones.  I've also been busy with a number of needs that my mom has and trying to get her positioned for the coming colder months.  She has been having a lot of challenges trying to keep warm enough and staff in care homes do not like attending to residents throughout the night to make sure they are not too cold or not too hot. Once they have you in bed, that is pretty well it and mom is not in any way able to help herself. So I've been trying to find pajamas for her that will need to be adapted.

So far I've had no success in finding large enough pajamas or even pajamas made of flannel. I may have to take a trip across the border to Washington State to see what I can find. I also need to try and find thermal socks that won't cut off her circulation. It seems that socks are made so narrow these days.

Early summer photo.

One of the alternatives I've been exploring is knees bands that are made of far infrared material. Supposedly this material helps people who suffer from arthritic pain. It sounds to good to be true but I've read a lot of testimonials saying how much various garments have helped different users.

Ideally I would get some longjohns for mom but they would have to be custom made since they are not in her size off the rack.  Buying a garment made of this material is an investment which I'm hesitant to make.  The garments cannot be washed in the very hot water that care homes use so I might order the clothing for nothing.

I think I had better try the flannel or fleece options first but locating a seamstress who makes adaptive clothing where my mom lives is not that easy. The one person I did speak with said it would cost too much to make something from scratch.  She also recommended I purchase men's sweatpants (available locally) which she could then adapt. I will look into all these options and try and find the most effective thing to do.

Beyond that I am constantly looking for food snacks that mom can have without refrigeration. Her shared room doesn't have space for her mini-fridge. She shouldn't need all this extra food but she absolutely can't seem to eat much of what they provide her. I don't know how the other residents manage because truthfully I've tasted some of the food. Though it looks and smells fine it is usually too salty, too sweet or too mushy.

Last but not least I've been looking for mobile services such as hair care and masseuses that can help to make her feel well groomed and pretty or relieve some of her constant pains from arthritis. It all keeps me very busy. At the end of the month my brother and I will make a trip to go and see her and celebrate her birthday. I am hoping this will boost her spirits a bit as she hasn't been well with infections and chronic pain this past little while. If you are prayer warrior, please say some prayers for her.

Many of you will know that I have also been spending a lot of time on my own health and trying to get my blood sugar down. I went to the doctor today and was so thrilled to hear that I have dropped a full point in my blood glucose readings. This means I'm very close to normal! I am very excited and happy about that. All my other tests were normal too with the exception of the liver which the doctor wasn't too concerned about just yet for reasons I can't quite regurgitate. So I guess we will keep an eye on that and see where things are at later. As for weight loss, that is still elusive. I did manage to lose a few of the pounds that I had recently gained but it took months of effort. At least it is a loss and not a gain. I'll take it!!

So basically all of this to say I'm pleased with my personal progress and hope that I can keep up the effort and the good progress. I can tell you that it is taking most of my time so I'm blogging less these days.  Since it is summer and most people are somewhat busy, this is probably okay.

I am still pursuing my secret thing that I hinted at a few weeks ago. I need to give it more time to see if it is really going to help me and then I will make a special post about it because it deserves a post of it's own.

I hope you are all doing well and I look forward to reading your posts soon.

Chicken Lickin'

This Chicken-Cauliflower-Cheese casserole was a welcome change from plain old roasted chicken.

I used boneless chicken breast baked with cauliflower florets, diced green onions, sliced mushrooms & mushroom soup for the sauce.  I baked the chicken at 350 degrees before adding all the other ingredients. 

You could also par boil the cauliflower florets to cut down on cooking time. I added some water to my mushroom soup but if you want a thicker sauce, omit the water or use it very sparingly.

I topped the casserole with sliced cheddar and mozzarella cheese and baked for another 20 minutes. It gives the appearance of skin on the chicken.  Serve with rice and side dish. I served mine with brown rice and a side dish of a simple mango salad (diced red onions, chopped red pepper and chopped mango).

Yum!

August Begins

It's BC Day weekend here in my province in Western Canada.

Every first Monday of August is known as British Columbia Day, BC Day or B.C. Day, in the province of British Columbia. It is a statutory holiday and gives Canadians in the province the chance to celebrate their achievements or relax with friends and family members.

This is always a busy week/weekend in the city. Not only is it Gay Pride week and many gay and straight people alike come from out of town to take in the parade. I've yet to attend.  It is also the week for the Celebration of Lights, an international fireworks competition. It is rather difficult to get down to the waterfront to watch the lights unless you are capable of walking far distances.  Parking is impossible and traffic is cut off from the area unless you are a resident.  If you have a friend in the downtown core or who lives on the waterfront you can avoid the beach crowds.  The last time I took in the Celebration of Lights was a few years ago when I was staying at a downtown hotel with a view. It's beautiful to see the light show from a balcony on an upper floor if you don't like crowds.

I am often out of town on this holiday weekend but not this year. It is a very hot and so I'm staying close to home and mostly indoors. It has been too hot for me to go out and about except for the things I absolutely must do.  It is much more comfortable staying at home near my fan and watching movies or reading good books.

A friend of mine has been raving about Medicine Walk and wanted to lend it to me after her husband reads it. Medicine Walk is written by a new to me First nations writer, Richard Wagamese.

On Friday I had to go to the library to pick up a different book on hold and I saw Medicine Walk on the "fast read" shelf.  I started reading it right away and finished it the next day

Here is the description of the book from Amazon

By the celebrated author of Canada Reads Finalist Indian Horse, a stunning new novel that has all the timeless qualities of a classic, as it tells the universal story of a father/son struggle in a fresh, utterly memorable way, set in dramatic landscape of the BC Interior. For male and female readers equally, for readers of Joseph Boyden, Cormac McCarthy, Thomas King, Russell Banks and general literary.      Franklin Starlight is called to visit his father, Eldon. He's sixteen years old and has had the most fleeting of relationships with the man. The rare moments they've shared haunt and trouble Frank, but he answers the call, a son's duty to a father. He finds Eldon decimated after years of drinking, dying of liver failure in a small town flophouse. Eldon asks his son to take him into the mountains, so he may be buried in the traditional Ojibway manner.
     What ensues is a journey through the rugged and beautiful backcountry, and a journey into the past, as the two men push forward to Eldon's end. From a poverty-stricken childhood, to the Korean War, and later the derelict houses of mill towns, Eldon relates both the desolate moments of his life and a time of redemption and love and in doing so offers Frank a history he has never known, the father he has never had, and a connection to himself he never expected.
     A novel about love, friendship, courage, and the idea that the land has within it powers of healing, Medicine Walk reveals the ultimate goodness of its characters and offers a deeply moving and redemptive conclusion.

I'm finishing this pile of books I featured in an earlier blog post.  I'm at the tail end of Beautiful Ruins and about half way through  Laced with Poison and The Lost Art of Gratitude.  As I read the latter book by Alexander McCall Smith, it seems so very familiar. I think I've read it within the last two years but there is no harm in reading it again. I'm enjoying all 3 of these books and will likely finish them all this week.

I also picked up the book, That Part Was True, in large print at my local library just because it was on a shelf with Medicine Walk. I will often read the first few pages of a book that looks interesting and if it grabs my attention, I take it out. Here is how the book is described on Amazon.

When Eve Petworth writes to Jackson Cooper to praise a scene in one of his books, they discover a mutual love of cookery and food. Their friendship blossoms against the backdrop of Jackson's colorful, but ultimately unsatisfying, love life and Eve's tense relationship with her soon-to-be married daughter. As each of them offers, from behind the veils of semi-anonymity and distance, wise and increasingly affectionate counsel to the other, they both begin to confront their problems and plan a celebratory meeting in Paris--a meeting that Eve fears can never happen.

I've been going out several times a week to the Kitsilano ("Kits") neighbourhood. It is related to something new that I'm trying lately for my health (and which I may post more about later).  While I was in Kits on Friday I stopped in at the local Flight Center.

I'm now researching whether to take a trip to Europe in the Fall when the crowds have largely gone home. There is a lot to figure out first:  travel arrangements and availability of travelling companions, hotels, tours, passport renewal and visas.   If I can accomplish everything and actually get to a destination or two,  I will certainly be posting more about that later!

August too is a busy time this year for catching up with friends near and far. Three of them have birthdays this month so I managed to send out birthday cards and send birthday greetings by phone.

I  have one friend that has started a new job and has been trying to get together with me for awhile  but so far it hasn't worked out. I tell her not to stress too much as it will happen in due time. I have another friend in Colorado who I've been busy with in email and phone calls. A long time friend just moved back from Winnipeg and it took us a week but we managed to get together for a cool refreshment last weekend.  Then another long-time friend from Calgary was in town doing renovations on the family home.  Plans to get together didn't pan out but we managed an impromptu get together the night before she left which was very nice.  Finally a newer, local friend and I were able to catch up over coffee and lunch earlier this week despite a few weeks of being unable to sync our schedules.

Late this month is my mom's birthday and I hope to make an out of town trip to visit her then. My brother, nephew, niece and I always visit her for the day and get a dinner and cake organized.  This year my nephew can't join us.

Next week I will be meeting an elderly friend I haven't seen since around February. We were actually supposed to get together in May but sadly she tripped over a lamp cord, fell and broke her hip and landed in hospital for hip replacement surgery.  I didn't even know until about two weeks ago.  She is still recovering but has invited me to lunch next Wednesday. I volunteered to take lunch to her but she has hired help so she said she will be ready for my visit. It will be nice to see her again. She and I always have so much to talk about, lol.

In closing, I want to let you know that Elvis in Kenya, pictured in the lab coat is hoping to finish classes in just over 2 weeks.

If you can help him to have a graduation ceremony and possibly contribute to a small fund to help him make the transition from student to adulthood, that would be awesome.  I will continue to write about Elvis for another month or more as he makes the transition in case anyone would like to help him.  Donations large or small are greatly appreciated and can be sent to kerichojoy[at]gmail[dot]com

Please also keep my friend Jonah in prayers He is waiting on so many things right now and just praying for the doors to open.

Have a wonderful August!

Joining in with Our World Tuesday

Beautiful Summer Sky

I'm making one more appeal to help Elvis finish his university studies. His last day of classes will be August 20th and I've managed to finish paying for his tuition and all his living costs.

 Any donations would be welcome to help pay for the graduation costs and ceremonies. Graduation will be a huge milestone for his family.

Donations gratefully received at kerichojoy[at]gmail[dot]com

In other news, the boy I was going to help go to vocational high school in Liberia has had a set back. All the schools in Liberia have been closed and there is a state of emergency due to the Ebola virus now making it's way in Western Africa.

We need to pray for these people in west Africa, all the medical staff who help them and put their lives in great danger, and for protection against the spread of the virus to the western nations.

This is very serious business.

My American friend lives just outside of Monrovia, Liberia and cares for a number of children orphaned by the civil war.  She has been sending money for the care and feeding of these children for years now but only moved there a few months ago so the children, including several teenage boys are not used to having adult supervision and direction.

All the children she looks after have now got to take care not to come into contact with outsiders (including friends) and need to stay home from all school and outside activities.

Food and extra medicine for a 2 month period have been purchased but the children don't quite understand just how serious things are.

Prayers for their cooperation and understanding would be appreciated.

Many thanks!


Linking with Skywatch Friday.

Summer Fresh

Summer is a wonderful time for eating fresh vegetables. This crunch salad of red peppers, tomatoes, English cucumbers, radishes, avocado, red onion and romaine lettuce hit the spot. I sprinkled some fresh lime juice over the salad in place of dressing but a tangy dressing would also go well with this.

I grilled some marinated steaks and had some fried bread to go along with it for an easy dinner with a friend.

I hope you are all enjoying your days!
Have a wonderful week ahead.